Cheese cutters



May 16, 1961 H. o. l. LUNDlN CHEESE CUTTERS Filed Dec. 11, 1957 INVENT r PrMv/pl Alb EN Y o. I. LUNDIN 6y. WM

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Uflit d S ates Patent O CHEESE CU'ITERS Henry Oskar Ivan Lundin, Malmo, Sweden Filed Dec. 11, 1957, Ser. No. 702,007

4 Claims. (CI. 31-22) This invention relates to a cheese cutter comprising an arm mounted for swinging movement about a vertical axis and provided with horizontal cutting means, screw feeding means arranged coaxially with the vertical axis being adapted to move said arm longitudinally of the vertical axis when the arm is swung about said axis.

In a prior art embodiment of such a cheese cutter said swingable arm is in direct meshing engagement with a threaded vertical pin over'a nut portion rigidly connected to said arm, so that the slice thickness is determined by the displacement imparted to the arm along said pin when the arm is swung through one revolution about said pin.

The cheese cutter according to the invention differs from the prior art arrangement in that one of the threadingly engaging parts of the screw feeding means is mounted for rotation on a cylindrical mounting surface which is coaxial with the swinging axis, and that means are provided for arresting said part of the screw feeding means to the mounting surface, it being thereby possible to swing the arm as desired with or without a simultaneous displacement thereof along said shaft by the screw feeding means, so that the thickness of the cheese slices cut may be adjusted at will.

In one embodiment of this invention the said one part of the screw feeding means may be an externally threaded sleeve which is mounted for rotation on a vertical pin forming the cylindrical mounting surface, and which is arrestable relative to said pin, the swingable arm being screwed onto said externally threaded sleeve by means of an internally threaded second sleeve which is rigidly connected to the arm and forms the other part of the screw feeding means.

In another embodiment of the invention the said one part of the screw feeding means is an internally threaded sleeve which is screwed onto a threaded vertical pin forming the other part of the screw feeding means, and which is mounted for rotation in a second sleeve forming the cylindrical mounting surface and rigidly connected to said aim, said internally threaded sleeve being arrestable to said second sleeve.

The invention will be described more in detail in the following by way of example, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cheese cutter in one embodiment thereof.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the cheese cutter in Fig. 1, an associated base plate being shown in cross section on line II-II in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing an axial section of the screw feeding means and associated parts in another embodiment.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the base plate 1 is provided with a shoulder 2 fitting a cover or bell (not shown) to fix the position thereof in relation to the base plate, and with a vertical standard 3 located outside the shoulder 2 and consequently also outside the cover or A threaded portion 4 of said standard 3 passes Paitented May 1c, 1961 through a hole in the base plate to which the standard is secured by means of a nut 5, a shoulder '6 between the threaded portion 4 and the remaining standard 3 bearing against the upper side of the base plate 1. A countersink 7 accommodating the nut is provided in the underside of the base plate.

Mounted for rotation on the smooth cylindrical portion of the standard 3 is an externally threaded sleeve 8 which carries an arm 9, the nut portion 10 of which engages the threads of the sleeve 8. At its underside the 12 is expanded. The arm 9 also carries a ball 13 which serves as a handle when arm 9 is swung about the standard 3. At such a swinging movement of the arm the externally threaded sleeve 8 will be turned about the vertical standard 3 due to the friction between the meshing threads. A displacement of the arm 9 along the standard 3 to an extent corresponding to the desired slice thickness can be effected by swinging of the arm while sleeve -8 is manually held by means of a flange 14 arranged for this purpose at the upper end thereof or is held arrested relative to the vertical standard 3 or the base plate 1 by other means, or by a rotation of the sleeve 8 with the aid of the flange 14 while arm 9 is prevented from turning.

In the embodiment illustrated, the means for clamping the cheese to the 'base plate consist of a supporting bar 15 fixedly mounted on the base plate, and of a clamping bar 16 which is rotatable and displaceable towards and away from the supporting bar 15. Said bars are of substantially U-shaped cross section, and the supporting bar 15 is secured to the base plate with one of its two parallel legs by means of screws. A noncircular countersunk hole is punched in said bar 16, and a screw having an unround head fitting the countersunk hole edges is inserted in said hole. The screw extends through a slot 18 in the base plate. The bar 16 can be clamped in any desired position in the slot by means of a wing nut .19. At the upper side of the base plate the slot 18 has bevelled edges 20 for the countersink in said bar 16. Arranged in the underside of the base plate is a recess 21 which is sufliciently large to accommodate the wing nut whatever position the bar 16 may occupy. The bars 15 and 16 are preferably provided with teeth adapted to engage the cheese.

For cutting a slice from the cheese clamped on the base plate 1 the arm 9 when located outside said cheese is displaced so much downwardly by the screw feeding means 8, '10 that when the arm 9 is swung into engagement with the cheese the metal wire 12 cuts a slice of the desired thickness from the cheese.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 3 a threaded vertical standard 3' is arranged instead of the smooth standard 3 according to Figs. 1 and 2. Screwed onto the standard 3' is an internally threaded cylindrical sleeve 8', and a cylindrical second sleeve 10' integral with the arm 9 is mounted for rotation on said firstmentioned sleeve 8' between a flange 14 thereon and a separate ring 22' secured in a suitable manner to said sleeve 8'. Said ring 22 is preferably disposed on a prolongation of the sleeve 8'. The sleeves 8' and 10 can be releasably interlocked by means of a snap lock 23 which in a known manner comprises a spring-loaded ball disposed in a bore. in the sleeve 10' or arm 9, which ball is urged by the spring load against the underside of the flange 14 and is able to snap into one of a plurality of recesses arranged on a circle in said ring. In lieu of said snap lock, a pawl may be arranged on arm 9 or sleeve 8'. Said pawl can be held by means of a spring either in latching position, that is in engagement with the sleeve 8 and arm 9, respectively, or in released position and can be manually operable to be manually .brought .into released ,position and latching position, respectively.

Upon swinging of arm 9 in the embodiment according to Fig. .3 the sleeve 8' will be screwed along the vertical standard 3 when sleeves 8' and are held interlocked, andarm.9 will then'be displaced along the standard 3'. After surmounting the latching action of the snap-lock 23 or after a pawl arranged in lieu of said snap-lockhas been brought into released position, :the sleeve 8 and arm 9 are free to movein relationto each other so that arm 9.canbe swung without-being displaced along the standard 3', or, alternatively, by a rotation of sleeve 8' arm 9 can be displaced along standard-3 without a simultaneous swinging of said arm. Same as in the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2, the thickness of the slices can thus be adjustedat will.

The embodiment described in the foregoing should be considered merely as examples, as they permit of moditications without leaving the scope of the inventive idea defined in the appendant claims.

What I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A cheese'cutter comprising an arm, a vertical pin having a cylindrical outer surface, an externally threaded first sleeve having a cylindrical inner surface rotatably engaging said cylindrical outer surface, an internally threaded second sleeve rigidly connected to said arm and threadingly engaging said first sleeve, means on the first sleeve for selectively preventing rotational movement of said first sleeve in relation to said vertical pin, and horizontal cutting means on said arm.

2. A cheese cutter comprising an arm, a vertical externally threaded pin, an internally threaded first sleeve threadingly engaging said externally threaded pin and having a cylindrical outer surface, a second sleeve rigidly connected to said arm and having a cylindrical inner surface rotatably engaging said cylindrical outer surface, means on the first sleeve for selectively preventing rotational movement of said sleeves in relation to each other, and horizontal cutting means on said arm.

3. A cheese cutter according to claim 2, in which said means for selectively preventing rotational movement of said sleeves in relation -to'each other comprises a snap lock on one of said sleeves resiliently engaging the other one of said sleeves for releasably locking said sleeves together.

4. A cheese cutter comprising a vertical pin member, a collar member, an arm mounting member, said vertical pin member and said collar member being rotatably connected to each other, and said collar member and said arm mounting member being rotatably connected to each other, two of said members being threadedly rotatably connected and the other two of said members being freely rotatably connected, an arm on said arm mounting member, horizontal cutting means on said arm, and means on the collar member for selectively preventing rotational movement of two of said members which are rotatably connected-to each other.

References Cited inthe file of'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 173, '7 77 Dugan et a1. Feb. 22, 1876 674,803 Thunell May 21, 1901 922,039 Purcell May 18, 1902 1,734,133 Keys et al. Nov. 5, 1929 1,932,626 Horan Oct. 31, 1933 2,443,928 Passar elli June 22, 1948 

